The American Red Cross on Wednesday issued an emergency call for blood donations in response to a severe winter shortage.
The organization, which manages about 40 percent of the nation's blood supply, said it's distributing blood donations to hospitals faster than its receiving donations.
The Red Cross must collect almost 14,000 blood and platelet donations each day to meet the demand of about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide, according to a news release.
Busy holiday schedules and severe winter weather are the main culprits for the shortage. Almost 100 blood drives were cancelled in December due to weather, causing more than 3,100 donations to go uncollected. The Red Cross said it was short about 37,000 blood donations in November and December.
"Hospital patients need lifesaving blood this winter, and they're relying on the generosity of volunteer donors to provide hope in the days and weeks ahead," said Chris Hrouda, executive vice president of Red Cross Blood Services. "The Red Cross is doing everything it can to ensure blood products are available on the shelves when patients need it, but we can't do it alone. We need eligible individuals to give blood and platelets as soon as possible."
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